Wirebound container



July 7, 1959 cs. B. PETERS WIREBO UND CONTAINER Filed Jan. 9, 1956 M.L: ,H

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent CONTAINER Guilford B. Peters, Mendham, NJ., assignor to Stapling -=Maehines=Co., Rockaway, NEJJ, a-corporation of Dela- Application January 9, 1956, Serial No. 557,993 2 Claims; (Cl; 217-43) This invention relates -to wirebound-containers.

Theconventional-wirebound containers in use heretofore have been formed-from blankshaVin-g four sections or sides, each composed of side material or slats with reinforcing cleats stapled thereto, with the several sectionsfoldably secured-togetherby binding wires extending lengthwise of the blank and secured to the blank by staples driven astride the binding wires. The two ends of each binding wire are provided with loop fasteners which project from the ends of the blank, and when the blank is folded around to set up the container, these loops come into opposition with each other at the closing corner of the container and one of them, being somewhat narrower than the other, is inserted through the latter and bent down to secure the container closed.

The container ends are similarly formed of side material or slats with reinforcing battens or liners stapled thereto and are secured to the container blank by loop fasteners formed at the ends of binding wires stapled to the container ends, these loops being inserted through notches in the outside cleats of the front and rear sections of the container blank and bent around the outside binding wires.

To save space and permit handling of the container blanks in multiple, they are usually shipped and stored knocked down or flat, with the two container ends foldably secured at one end to opposite sides of the front and rear side sections of the blank and lying flat against the inner faces of these sections.

To set up the container for packing, the free loops on the partially attached container ends must be bent at right angles to the outer faces of the ends, the container sec tions must be folded around and the loops inserted into the notches in the cleats and bent around the outside binding wires to secure the container in its folded condition. Because this operation takes appreciable time, it is common practice in packing plants to set up the containers in advance. This requires that space be provided for stacking the assembled containers, and results in substantial wastage of valuable plant space.

It is therefore among the objects of the present invention to provide a wirebound container blank which is so constructed that the container may be set up from the blank readily and without the necessity of inserting and/ or securing any loop fasteners. Another object is that of providing such a container blank wherein the portions which form the container ends, although fully secured to the blank, may be folded down against the blank for stacking. Another object is the provision of such a container blank which may be economically made on existing wirebound box-making machinery.

These and other objects which will be apparent hereinafter are accomplished by the container blank described hereinafter and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a main wirebound crate blank which, when folded, constitutes the four sides of the crate.

Patented July Z, 1959 Figure 2 is. a perspective-view of an auxiliary blank.

which, when used in combination withthe mainrblank of Figure 1, provides two end sections and a front section-to complete thecrate.

Figure 3 is a perspective. view showing the. auxiliary blank of Figure 2 folded and properlysecured.to thernain crate blank of Figure 1.

Figure4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the-rear section of the folded crate showing, the means ofseeurirrg;v the, free ends of the auxiliary; b1ank..

Figure-5 is a perspective viewof aeompletely assembled crate embodying the invention.

Referring to Figure l, themaincontainenblank z-come prises four side sections, i.e., thetop tybottom 6, rear side 8 and front side v10; eachconsistingyof face-material 12, cleats 14: and binding wires 16.-secured thereto by staples-18. As may, be seen. in said-figure, the front section 10 isnof openzconstruction-except-for azsingl e slat 20 which is .attachedlo the. free. edge of .the section and which serves as a crosstie and as an anchor for the ends of the loop fasteners 22.

In Figure 2, is shown the auxiliary blank 26 designed for combination with the main container blank 2. The auxiliary blank 26 is comprised of three sections, each consisting of face material 28, reinforcing liners 30 and binding wires 32 which foldably connect the several sections and which terminate in loop fasteners 34. The center section 36 of the auxiliary blank, which is of approximately the same size as the front side 10 of the main blank 2, has foldably connected at either side the sections 38 which serve as the ends of the assembled container. Each of the end sections 38 is divided into two units 40 and 42 of equal size foldably connected by the attached binding wires 32.

In Figure 3 the auxiliary blank 26 is shown properly attached to the inner face of the rear side 8 of the inverted main container blank 2. Such assembly is accomplished by first bending the loops 34 on the binding wires 32 of the auxiliary blank 26 outwardly at a right angle to the face material 28 thereof. Then said blank is folded into a U-shape with the open portion of the U thereof toward the inner face of rear section 8, and the loops 34 are inserted through the notches 44 in the cleats 14 at each side of the rear section 8. The outwardly projecting loops 34 are then bent back upon themselves about the outside binding wires 16, as clearly shown in Figure 4.

As may be seen in Figure 3, after the auxiliary blank 26 has been attached to the main blank 2, its ends 38 are folded in halves, thus collapsing the auxiliary blank against the rear section 8 of the main blank and permitting the assembled units to be nested and bundled if desired.

To make up the assembled blanks into container form, the rear section 8 and front section 10 of the main blank 2 are moved upwardly to a vertical position as shown in Figure 5, and the three sections of the collapsed auxiliary blank 26, shown in broken lines B, are moved outwardly from rear section 8 as indicated by arrows A, to their respective positions shown in full lines, therein providing ends 38 for the container as well as closing the face of front section 10.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that the composite container blank provided by the present invention includes ends which, though fully attached to the blank, may be collapsed against the blank for nesting and bundling; the blanks may be set up very rapidly to form assembled containers, and need not be set up in advance, thereby consuming valuable space in the packing area.

It will thus be appreciated that the aforementioned and other desirable objectives have been achieved. However, it should be emphasized that the particular embodiment of the invention as described hereinabove and shown in the accompanying drawings is intended as merely illustrative of the invention rather than as restrictive thereof, and that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 7

I claim:

1. In a Wirebound container, a blank of the type having four container sections formed by side material with reinforcing cleats at the inner face thereof and foldably secured together by binding Wires, an auxiliary blank assembly comprising a center section having a width approximately equal to that of the front and rear sections of said first-named blank and a length approximately equal to the space between the inner faces of the cleats on the front section of said first-named blank, and a pair of end sections, one at each end of said center section, each of said end sections having a height approximately equal to the Width of said front and rear sections of said first-named blank and an overall Width approximately equal to the Width of the top and bottom sections of said first-named blank, each of said end sections being divided into two separate, vertically extending panels of approximately equal width, with one or more binding wires extending the length of said auxiliary blank as sembly and attached to each of the sections and panels thereof and securing the same together in foldable relationship each such binding Wire being provided at its opposite ends with fastener portions which engage opposite ends of the rear section of the first-named blank to secure said auxiliary blank to said first-named blank while permitting it to be collapsed against said rear section.

2. A wirebound container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said front section is open-faced except for a. single transverse slat at the outer edge thereof.

References Cited the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,056,491 Biddinger May 18, 1913 1,956,970 Babcock et a1. May 1, 1934 2,264,418 Tugel et al Dec. 2, 1941 2,698,109 Hogan et al Dec. 28, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 550,191 France Dec. 7, 1922 

